Update: An ethics complaint against Representative Bryan Slaton, who skipped the session’s most consequential debate, has been filed alleging an “inappropriate relationship.”
Fentanyl killed more than 5,000 Texans last year. The Legislature is taking the epidemic seriously, but first responders and policy experts are skeptical.
The Jewish billionaire has long been the target of antisemitic attacks from the far right. What are Republican leaders signaling when they single him out as the main force behind the former president’s woes?
This week, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs advanced two bills that would criminalize many drag performances. The bills, both filed by Republican Bryan Hughes of Mineola, take aim at men or women who use “clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers” to “exhibit” as
In the ongoing push to preempt progressive policies at the local level, the GOP-controlled Legislature could undo protections against predatory payday lending.
Federal help could keep facilities open in several small towns, but they'll be forced to cut back to offering only emergency care.
The administration’s new border policy has slowed the flow of asylum seekers, while frustrating those who are trying to follow the rules.
After 28 men and women died in custody last year, officials are throwing money at the overcrowded facility. Advocates for inmates say reforms are needed.
Menstrual products are subject to a sales tax, and Democrat Donna Howard has tried to change that since 2017. With support from powerful Republicans, this could be the year.
The rhetoric at the former president’s rally hearkened back to the fringe, anti-government messaging of the nineties Texas right wing.
During the thirtieth anniversary of the Branch Davidian tragedy, no less.
As lawmakers consider bills targeting their livelihoods, queer Texans say more members of their community intend to defend themselves.
As state politicians focus on danger and cartel violence, the border town's downtown is undergoing a renaissance.
The lawmaker from Frisco has rallied right-wingers by promising to remove “sexually explicit” books from shelves. But he may lose them by targeting a beloved Texan classic.
Two bipartisan bills would make it easier for judges to incarcerate defendants before trial. Criminologists say that’s bad for public safety.
Taking a cue from authoritarian leaders, state representative Bryan Slaton has proposed property tax relief for some large families. White, straight, property-owning couples would be the primary beneficiaries.
Recruiting, mostly. But also trying to see New Order.
The governor has promoted “school choice” at seven religious academies around the state. Why there?
Senator Paul Bettencourt’s proposal would hand the Harris County Flood Control District over to unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor.
Matthew Kacsmaryk cut his teeth at First Liberty Institute, a “religious liberty” law firm with Texas roots—and a growing national reach.
The lieutenant governor has consolidated power in the Legislature and exercises near-total control of his chamber. Will anyone challenge him?
Former House Speaker Tom Craddick and his family—including his daughter, Railroad Commission chairman Christi Craddick—earned about $10 million last year from oil and gas rights.
After banning almost all abortions in the state post-Roe, GOP lawmakers have proposed eighteen new ways of limiting access to the procedure.
Texas lawmakers say they won’t let the attorney general settle a lawsuit using taxpayer money, but they’re letting him avoid oversight.
Under Governor Greg Abbott and a Republican-dominated Legislature, Texas has experienced an unprecedented expansion of state power over municipalities.
A bill would require that detention centers house kids based on the sex listed on their birth certificates, contradicting federal guidelines.
It’s intended to reconnect a corner of Dallas divided long ago by a highway, but without the right policies enacted, some fear it will displace residents who've lived there for decades.
The Biden administration has replaced key elements of our 50-year-old asylum system with “CBP One,” a smartphone application. It looks like the future—but potentially a dystopian one.
Why has the governor lasered in on teenagers doing donuts and causing a ruckus in the capital city?
A mysterious group with a Tennessee mailing address has filed a suit in the Panhandle city—guaranteeing it would be heard by Matthew Kacsmaryk, a longtime religious-right activist.
A conversation on abortion rights with the Dallas lawyer whose argument against Texas’s abortion law changed the course of history.
Briscoe Cain wants all Texans to have the right to gather eggs in their backyards, local ordinances be damned.
Legislators and staffers have been cavorting in one of Austin’s most dimly lit establishments.
Asian Americans across the state are rallying against the legislation, saying it’s racially motivated and could have unintended consequences for the Texas economy.
After years of opposition and delay, Waco finally has posted a historical marker about the 1916 murder of Jesse Washington.
Bob Hall has long sought to outlaw gender-affirming treatments for minors. Now he seeks to effectively ban care for consenting adults.
In the three months since city council elections, at least twenty staffers have resigned, retired, or been fired, including the city manager, city attorney, and fire chief.
In an address that resembled a campaign ad, the governor issued seven priorities for the Legislature, including a push for “school choice.”
A handful of bills target gender-affirming medical care. Some families have fled the state and others are ready to follow.
Internal documents offer new insights into an unprecedented ploy in Wimberley to divert public-education dollars to private schools.
Paxton and the four whistleblowers asked the Texas Supreme Court to defer consideration of the case until they can finalize the settlement, after which they’ll move to end the case.
Austin’s response to last week’s mild freeze is further evidence that some of the structures of society we used to count on are no longer reliable.
Dallas’s Jasmine Crockett and Austin’s Greg Casar talked to Texas Monthly about fighting for progressive policies in a GOP-controlled chamber.
Acclaimed for his research on the Big Bend region and the Porvenir massacre, David Keller was suddenly marched out of Sul Ross State University in December.
In 1983 James Reyos was convicted of murder in Odessa, despite having an airtight alibi. Four decades later, he’s still fighting to clear his name.
Governor Greg Abbott’s scheme to transport asylum seekers to Democrat-run cities has been called a cynical PR stunt. It is—but if tweaked, it could be a good idea.
Drill, baby, drill! But, uh, over there.
Two key bills with bipartisan support would help keep new moms alive and healthy. But similar efforts have fallen short in past sessions.
Senator Bob Hall’s bill is an unusual measure to address a nonexistent issue.
Booted from one locale amid outcry, the “Rally Against Censorship” proceeded—with an airing of familiar right-wing grievances.
